3of9In this photo taken on November 10, 2018, flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend, California.Photo: JOSH EDELSON / AFP/Getty Images

4of9US President Donald Trump delivers a televised address to the nation on funding for a border wall from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC on January 8, 2019.Photo: CARLOS BARRIA / AFP/Getty Images

9of9Paradise resident Fred Bowerman waves a Donald Trump flag while his fianc, Tami Wright (right), watches as they wait on the side of SkyWay in Chico, Calif. to get a glimpse of President Donald Trump as his motorcade drives into Paradise, Calif. Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. Both Bowerman and Wright lost their home in the Camp Fire.Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s broadside that he has ordered the federal government to halt relief funds for California wildfires unless “they get their act together” roiled the state’s lawmakers — including some in the president’s own party.

Trump’s statement, which he issued in a tweet early Wednesday, was an escalation of a threat he first made after wildfires last year burned hundreds of thousands of acres and killed almost 100 people. But by evening, there was still no clarity on what Trump meant, whether he had followed through or what he wanted the state to do.

In the meantime, the idea was greeted with scathing criticism from California elected officials, including three Republicans who represent the area devastated by last fall’s Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history.

“Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!” Trump tweeted.

Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and Trump did not answer shouted questions while at the Capitol for meetings with members of Congress about the partial government shutdown. The Department of Homeland Security, which manages the Federal Emergency Management Agency, referred questions to the White House.

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Lawmakers responded immediately nonetheless. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, circulated a letter to colleagues calling for a bipartisan California delegation meeting on Thursday to craft a response. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, led a letter signed by all 46 California House Democrats calling the tweet “casual cruelty” and “dishonest” and urging the president not to cut off funding.

The Republican congressman who represents the area devastated by the Camp Fire, Rep. Doug LaMalfa of Richvale (Butte County), said Trump’s threat to cut off aid was “not helpful.”

Two Republicans who represent the area in the Legislature, Assemblyman James Gallagher of Nicolaus (Sutter County) and state Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber (Tehama County), called Trump’s tweet “wholly unacceptable.”

“He made a commitment to the people who have lost everything in these fires, and we expect the federal government to follow through with this promise,” the GOP legislators said in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said Trump’s threat was “irresponsible” and “insults the memory of scores of Americans who perished in wildfires last year and thousands more who lost their homes.”

.@realDonaldTrump’s threat insults the memory of scores of Americans who perished in wildfires last year & thousands more who lost their homes. @GOPLeader must join me to condemn & call on POTUS to reassure millions in CA that our govt will be there for them in their time of need https://t.co/YZJQug9zh0

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield put out a statement late Wednesday that avoided criticizing Trump, but said he remained committed to getting relief money for California.

Among the unanswered questions is what Trump meant by saying he had “ordered” FEMA to cut off aid. He could refuse to sign future disaster-aid packages that Congress passes. It is questionable, however, whether he has the power to cut off funding after a disaster declaration has been approved.

Federal law governing disaster assistance says that when an emergency exists, the president “shall not ... delay or impede the rapid deployment, use, and distribution of critical resources to victims of an emergency.” Regulations also make federal-state disaster relief agreements binding once they are entered.

According to UCLA law Professors Jon Michaels and Sean Hecht, there is little precedent for a president reneging on federal disaster aid. However, they noted that presidents have broad discretion over approving disaster declarations in the first place.

Newsom responded to Trump’s threat with a pair of tweets, noting that he and the governors of Oregon and Washington had asked Trump “to work with us in taking on these unprecedented wildfires.”

“Disasters and recovery are no time for politics,” Newsom tweeted.

Mr. President -- Just yesterday, @OregonGovBrown, @GovInslee, and I sent a letter asking the federal government to work with us in taking on these unprecedented wildfires. We have been put in office by the voters to get things done, not to play games with lives. https://t.co/GjIVr6yxOP

Trump has suggested that California is overly restrictive when it comes to logging. However, the federal government owns 57 percent of forestland in California, while the state and local agencies own 3 percent. Experts also note that forest management is just one of many factors that can affect wildfires’ severity.

Many of the blazes that have devastated California since 2017 have been brush fires, not forest fires, and many ran through large swaths of private land, including the Camp Fire in Butte County that killed 86 people.

FEMA disaster relief aid supports rebuilding streets and infrastructure, as well as individual home repairs, rental housing and other personal expenses.

In recent California fires, tens of millions of dollars have gone to help individuals, and hundreds of millions have gone to state agencies. Last year, then-Gov. Jerry Brown asked Congress to appropriate an additional $9 billion for the Camp Fire and Southern California blazes. That request is stalled in Congress.

California’s senators, who have pushed for relief funds, both panned the president’s tweet.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement that Trump’s “empty threat is based on groundless complaints, and candidly isn’t worth the time of day.”

Feinstein’s fellow Democrat, Sen. Kamala Harris, tweeted, “We should work together to mitigate these fires by combating climate change, not play politics by threatening to withhold money from survivors of a deadly natural disaster.”

Californians endured the deadliest wildfire in our state’s history last year. We should work together to mitigate these fires by combating climate change, not play politics by threatening to withhold money from survivors of a deadly natural disaster. pic.twitter.com/uMopf0Z05i

FEMA aid

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides a variety of aid for disaster victims, including assistance for home rebuilding, rent and replacement of personal possessions, and reimbursement for local and state agencies’ disaster-related expenses. The agency has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in relief after recent California disasters.

For the Camp Fire in Butte County and Southern California fires last fall, $48.8 million of FEMA aid has gone to individuals. Aid to public agencies will come after those agencies file reimbursement claims.

For the Carr Fire near Redding and the Mendocino Complex Fire last summer, $6.9 million of FEMA aid has gone to individuals, while $60.7 million has gone to public agencies.

For the Thomas Fire and other late-season blazes in Southern California in 2017 and early 2018, and the subsequent flooding and mudslides, $4.8 million of FEMA aid has gone to individuals and $125.3 million to public agencies.

For the October 2017 fires in the North Bay and elsewhere in Northern California, $16.8 million of FEMA aid went to individuals and $342.5 million to public agencies.

Tal Kopan is the Washington Correspondent for The San Francisco Chronicle. Previously, she was a political reporter for CNN Politics, where she covered immigration, cybersecurity and other hot-button issues in Washington, including the 2016 presidential election.

Prior to joining the network, Kopan was a reporter for POLITICO in Washington, D.C., where she reported for their breaking news team and policy verticals. While covering policy, she was a reporter for POLITICO Pro Cybersecurity, where she covered cybersecurity policymaking on Capitol Hill and followed cyber-related issues in the Justice Department such as cybercrime.

Kopan also previously worked as a Web producer at Fox Chicago News and as a freelance Web producer at ABC 7 Chicago, where she spent time covering stories such as the trials of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the election of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Kopan was selected as a 2014-2015 National Press Foundation Paul Miller Fellow and a member of the 2015 class of Journalist Law School at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She was also the recipient of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Midwest Chapter's Ephraim Family Scholarship.

Kopan graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's in law, letters and society.